Y’all  😭 I thought I was getting stronger.

I’ve been on a journey to incorporate more consistent strength training into my exercise routine over the last two-ish years. It’s been marred with injuries (like an almost broken tailbone— not from working out, but a setback nonetheless) transitions, and exploration, but in the last few months, I finally started to notice myself getting stronger.

Then my routine was shaken up again when I moved back to Colorado a couple of weeks ago (did you know??). So I’ve set out yet again to figure out a new strength training routine. In my first week, I tried some safe workouts that I knew would be familiar (like Pilates) and some new ones (like Orange Theory). But all the workouts I did last week I liked.

And then this week came Mecha. Monday morning at 7 AM, I showed up feeling strong and excited for class, but as the instructor started to explain all the exercises we were going to do, my heart started racing, my stomach dropped, and I had the instinct to run (out of class, not like run exercise). That doesn’t happen to me too often, but I literally felt the need to escape the room. Just writing about it right now makes me want to laugh-cry.

But I stayed. And did (or tried) most of the exercises. I couldn’t do everything (hello pull-ups), but I could do some things I thought there was no way I’d be able to do (think: hip thrusts with 105 pounds or barbell landmine with 45 pounds)! But I was so proud of myself for staying and going through it despite the discomfort and challenge.

And yet…

I bought a three class intro pack, so I have to go to two more classes, and my nervous system is making me think I should not go. Just thinking about showing up to the next class makes me want to real cry (not laugh-cry). But I’m going to go because when I think about my goal to get stronger, I know those results are on the other side of these classes. Yes, it’s uncomfortable, and yes, it’s probably not the most enjoyable form of exercise I could do, but the satisfaction I get from pushing through the challenge and the growth (of my muscles and my mind) are ultimately what I want to get from my workouts.

And I remind myself that it’ll maybe get a little easier the more I go. (Anyone remember ice baths?)
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I’ve been been thinking a lot lately about change. As a wellness coach, I talk to a lot of people who want more energy, want to lose weight, want better relationships, want better sleep, etc., but they’re not willing to make the changes necessary to have those experiences they desire.

Somehow, they think that they can keep doing what they’ve been doing (which put them on the struggle bus in the first place) and their life and health will eventually get better.

But it’s just not gonna happen. If you want your life to change, you have to change your life.

Change is hard. Living a healthy lifestyle is hard. The world nowadays conspires against our best efforts to make it really challenging for us to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I’m not going to get on my soap box about that today but I'll share more about that soon.

We are living in an era of instant gratification that makes people not want to put forth effort for anything because there’s usually a quicker, “easier” solution available that gives us a hit of dopamine and makes us think it’s the right decision, if only for a moment. We need to feel satisfied for a moment. We can’t stand to feel the discomfort of boundaries and limits and saying no. But quick fixes never work long-term.

The only way to truly live in alignment with your purpose, feel fulfilled, and experience your optimal life is to do the hard things until they become easier…and then go find the next hard thing that’ll continue to push you to grow and evolve, and so on.

It’s not always going to be fun or something you necessarily want to do. But sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do in the moment if it’s going to yield the life we want to live at some point in the future. And the satisfaction of doing something we know is good for us even though it’s hard in the moment can be satisfaction enough to keep going. Like a really hard workout class.
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Here’s another example. I was listening to an interview about weight loss drugs with a neuroscientist who runs a weight loss company focused on behavioral health for her patients. She does not prescribe these drugs. Instead she prescribes intensive lifestyle prescriptions to help clients overcome food addiction and transform their lifestyles. She said one thing she requires of her clients is to stop eating sugar…forever.

My first thought was “😱 no way would I do that…”

I used to believe that extreme lifestyle changes like this were never necessary and wouldn't last, but sometimes, they are. If I knew that stopping eating sugar would solve a lot of the problems I was experiencing in my life—even if I would miss it and be sad I couldn’t eat delicious things and worried about feeling so restricted—I would do it (with support, of course). I'm sure it would be challenging at first, but as soon as I started to see my issues fall away and crave sugar less, it'd be a lot easier to keep going. The pros would far outweigh the cons.

I’m not telling you to stop eating sugar—not everyone needs that drastic of a change—but I am inviting you to consider the things you’ve been resisting because they’re “too restricting” or “too time intensive” or “too hard.”  There will always be trade-offs to making changes to your lifestyle.

Yes, it’ll be hard.

Yes you’ll have to give up things you once enjoyed that brought you some sense of satisfaction.

And yes, it’ll be worth it. Your entire experience of life will be elevated. You’ll feel better physically with more energy, less aches and pains, and more confidence. Mentally, your outlook on life will improve because you’ll feel better. Spiritually, you’ll feel more connected to your purpose.

So the sacrifice is worth it. It can be hard to believe it’s possible to feel better when you’re stuck on the struggle bus, but I guarantee you it is.

So how do you do it. The first step is to get clear on what you want to experience and why. Then, you get comfortable with being uncomfortable for a little bit. It’s not easy, but it can be simple and easeful with the right information and support.


Take the next step towards your Well Life with a proven strategy: The Easeful Living Blueprint

The Easeful Living Blueprint is my coaching program for purpose-driven women who want to make an impact in the world and serve others but have an empty tank and need support figuring out how to refill it.

In the program, you’ll map out a blueprint for a more easeful life—one where you are doing more of what fills you up and less of what doesn’t, so you can live well now and for decades to come.

We start by defining your vision and values—we have to figure out what’s most important to you and where you want to go before we chart out a path to get there. Then, I help you set goals, come up with action steps, overcome challenges (there will always be barriers to success), and stay accountable to your vision of your optimal life and health.

This is a fully customized program, designed to support you in the areas of your well-being and life that need the most love. We can work on anything from diet and exercise to sleep and mindfulness to building community and more.

You’ll have everything you need, including tools, information, and one-on-one support, to help you meet your goals and transform your life.

If you know you're ready, or you know you need to change your lifestyle but don’t know where to begin, let’s talk! I’d love to hop on a free clarity call with you to discuss your challenges and how I can support you on your journey.

I am always hesitant to speak up about anything controversial, but I’m done playing small because the stakes are too high and your well-being is at risk. I believe anyone who has a platform can and should use it to connect with people who resonate with them morally. Especially as a healer who helps people navigate their wellness journey, it would be a disservice for me to NOT acknowledge the collective grief and fear many of us are feeling after the presidential election this week.

We live in a time pretty much everything has become political.

Health is political.

Food is political.

Religion and spirituality are political.

Relationships are political.

Family is political.

Our bodies are political.

We can no longer ignore the fact that what’s happening on a national and global stage has very real impacts on all aspects of our health and well-being. So I will not brush this under the rug and go on business as usual.

As a coach who works with women who care deeply about people and the world, I want to make it abundantly clear that I hold a safe space for women who are feeling fearful, confused, hopeless, despondent, and angry about how this country clearly does not care about us and our well-being. And I help them practice self-care as an act of resistance.

As women, you must understand that no one is going to give you “permission” to take care of yourselves or make yourselves a priority. You have to claim that for yourself. I want you to know that I am committed to supporting women who are done with the capitalistic, patriarchal BS; women who recognize they have to be the ones to make a change in their lives because it’s now very clear the system isn’t going to pave the way for them.

Coming to this realization might feel lonely, frustrating, or confusing. My reaction to Tuesday’s election results was to isolate and feel sorry for myself. But I had to remind myself that I’m not the only one going through this, and I cannot let my fear isolate me from others. There are allies out there, and there is healing available in community.

Community is so important for our healing. Of course, part of the process of healing is individual, but ultimately, we can’t do it alone. So for those of you who are feeling sad, scared, mad, judgmental…I encourage you to seek connection and support outside of yourself to help you keep putting one foot in front of the other, because we can’t stop.

And this is not the final word. I don’t expect you to feel better after reading this message. But I hope you feel seen and know that you are still worthy of care, and you get to choose to claim it for yourself, always. And I hope you remember that staying connected with others is almost always going to be a beautiful way to nurture yourself through the ups and downs of life.

The work we're doing here together is bigger than just changing your diet or helping you find some friends. This work is helping to build yourself up physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually so you can continue to show up meaningfully in the spaces that need your brilliance and be a light in this world.

​I write all of this knowing that we as women will have to continue to fight for our humanity and dignity to be recognized. Today, that feels heavy, and tomorrow, I will keep fighting so we all get to experience ease and peace in our lives (which seems totally contradictory, but I have to believe it’s possible). And I find solace in knowing we don’t have to do it alone.

When I was a teacher, I loooooved to work myself to the bone and sacrifice my own life and health for the “good” of my students.


I would work 10, 12, 14 hour days. I would skip workouts and meal prepping to “get more work done” (though the truth is, I was so depleted that in those extra hours of work, I wasn’t really getting anything done).

It took me years to figure out that I wasn’t actually helping anyone by giving all of myself to my vocation. When I wasn’t taking care of myself, I was impatient and tired and got frustrated easily, and I wasn’t the best teacher I could be. I resented my colleagues for not working like I was and getting to enjoy their lives. I resented the education system and families that seemed to demand more of my time and effort every single day. And I resented having to show up for anyone in my life who needed me.

I love helping others, but I don’t want to spend my entire life only helping others. With my entire focus on my job, I was neglecting friendships and hobbies and my health. For me, that wasn’t the recipe for a full life.

I don’t believe you or I were put here to suffer in service of others.

Living out the full expression of your purpose means doing the work that you feel you’re meant to do AND taking care of yourself and getting to enjoy life!

And it’s a choice you get to make. Being driven by a purpose can consume you if you let it. You have to be intentional and choose yourself everyday, knowing that putting yourself first is in the highest service of the people you help and serve.

​And sometimes putting yourself isn’t easy or exciting (e.g., exercising, eating healthily, getting quality, consistent sleep), but it is necessary to get to enjoy everything else, like showing up fully with friends and loved ones, doing your best at your job, and all the fun things you get to experience in life.

Have you heard the financial advice to pay yourself first?

Some experts say that before you pay your bills and debts and spend your money, you should put money into savings for yourself. The alternative to this is paying everyone else and then saving whatever is left over. With the second method, you end up living paycheck to paycheck, stressing about finances and not getting a retirement because you never have money saved for emergencies and splurges and long-term needs. When you pay yourself first, you’re putting money into savings and retirement accounts and that money grows over time. Not only does that mean that you have a safety net, but the interest you earn on that money compounds and after decades, you have way more money than you put in.

The same goes for your health and well-being. If you spend all your time and energy doing things for other people, how much do you have left in the tank at the end of the day for yourself? Probably not much. Not only is this not good for you in your daily life right now, but in the long-run, you’ll be unwell and unable to fully enjoy the later years of your life.

You have to pay yourself first, but with movement, sleep, mindfulness, nourishing foods, and social connection. And that investment compounds over time, meaning you get to enjoy a high quality of life for a long time.

​Your health is just as valuable an asset as your money, if not more. Health is THE thing that makes everything else possible. You MUST take care of yourself before you take care of others if you want to keep doing it.

In addition to being a wellness coach, I’m also an amateur baker! Ironic, I know.

When I started my gluten-free baking business just over a year ago, I did all the cost analyses to figure out what would be an appropriate price for each cookie and loaf of banana bread and brownie based on the cost of everything that was going into it (ingredients, equipment, packaging, electricity, labor, booth fees, etc.). This gave me a greater appreciation for the cost of high-quality products of all kinds — food, beauty and cleaning products, clothes, services, and more.

It just costs money to make and offer things.

The other day, I saw a tv commercial for a fast food chain that said you can get a loaded burger and fries and a soda for just $5.

I was selling one cookie for that price! Can you imagine the quality of the meat and vegetables and oils (not to mention how much they pay their workers) to be able to sell all that for $5 and still make a profit? Yikes! But I guess you get what you pay for.

The same can be said for services. Paying for a high-quality service means that you’re getting elevated expertise, more comprehensive and in-depth support, and the person’s heart and mind on your life not only while delivering the services but throughout the time you’re working with them (and beyond!).

When we seek cheap solutions and quick fixes for our health woes, we’re going to get the same thing in return — cheap solutions and short-lived results that don’t actually solve our challenges in the short-term and certainly don’t lend themselves to lifelong health.

Yes, the cost is going to be higher now for quality, meaningful, effective solutions, but that is offset by the costs of medical problems and reduced quality of life in the long-run.

So when you’re evaluating the costs of living a healthier lifestyle, whether that’s buying organic foods or paying for a gym membership or investing in a coach, know that you’ll get what you pay for, not only in the short-term but also for lifelong wellness (or illness, if you so choose).

How can you invest in your health this week, either with your money OR your time?

There has been a lot of talk about why the category 1 hurricane in Houston was so particularly destructive and worry about what’s going to happen in the next few months as this hurricane season is predicted to be especially bad.


After having conversations with many people, I have two theories.

First, we just had an unexpectedly destructive storm in May with intense winds that caused a lot of damage. The trees that weren’t taken down by that storm were weakened, their roots’ grip on the earth loosened, without time to repair and rebuild.

It made me think about what motivates us to change. So often, we wait for disaster to strike before make a change. And even then, sometimes we’ll change just enough to get through it but not enough to actually heal or prepare for other challenges that lie ahead.

Second, it has been raining A LOT over the last few months. The soil is so soft and the roots have nothing solid to hold on to.

This reminds me of the storms of life. When it feels like it’s constantly raining and we don’t give ourselves time to dry out (through restorative and intentional self-care practices), when something bigger comes, it can completely destroy us.

We NEED daily and weekly practices that nourish our mind, body, and soul to keep our roots strong and grounded. We don’t have to wait for a big storm to come take us down before we decide to live differently.

Of course, this is easier said than done, but think about it — what if you could build a lifestyle that kept you rooted no matter what life throws at you? That doesn’t mean it’ll be sunshine and rainbows because that’s just not how life goes, but it’ll keep you mindful, present, and oriented towards a positive and hopeful future.

And it’s nothing fancy. We’re talking nourishing foods, movement, mindfulness, restful sleep, community — whatever YOU need to stay grounded.

This is what I help my clients with — building healthful lifestyles that support the life they want to live. Because it is simple, but it’s not always easy, and having support can make all the difference.

If you feel like you are ready to grow some roots and build the healthy lifestyle that makes all of your dreams possible, I’d love to chat with you about your goals and discuss how we might work together. Set up a free call for us to connect.​

Have you ever missed a day of exercise and then felt like such a failure that you completely gave up on trying? Or eaten something you “shouldn’t” have (according to the rules you made up in your mind) and completely given up on your new diet?

Mentally, one off day can derail you if you let it. But physically, it takes a lot more than one day to undo all your progress, so giving up because you missed one workout or had one “unhealthy” meal is totally irrational.

​The New York Times recently shared research findings about how long it takes to get fit again after taking a break from exercise. First, research indicates that it takes a lot longer than you might think to lose your fitness level when you start exercising…what’s your guess?

Your body loses significant cardiovascular fitness (think — how hard are you breathing when doing cardio exercise) after three weeks of stopping exercise, and it takes about eight weeks to start losing muscle (!!).

To recover, research says you can regain about one-half of your fitness in 10–14 days, and the rest depends on how much catching up you have to do and your previous fitness levels.

We hear the phrase “use it or lose it” a lot, but there’s so much urgency and finality in it that really doesn’t serve us.

No matter what you’ve done in the past and where you are now, you can always recover what you lost or start something new to improve your health.

It’s also important to remember that something is better than nothing. Effort and consistency matter equally — if you put in a lot of effort one time, you’re not going to experience the benefits like you would if you put in just a bit of effort every day. Consistency is what leads to transformation.

What’s something you’ve given up on? Something you’re telling yourself you can’t do because you haven’t been able to stick with it in the past? How can you incorporate a small change in that area of your health and life to begin experiencing new results in your life?

For me, it’s walking. I go through periods of walking really consistently and then not and right now I’m in a period of not. I’m going to commit to walking a loop around my neighborhood every day (about 25 minutes) for the next 2 weeks. I’ll let you know how it goes.

​What can you commit to (exercise or another area of health) for the next two weeks to move you towards your health goals? Comment below and let me know!

When you are finally in the right headspace to make a change, it can feel exciting to start to envision what is possible. You start to see the light at the end of the tired, sick, frustrated tunnel you’ve been stuck in. And you know and learn about what you need to do to get better, so you decide to start eating better and exercising and overhauling your sleep routine and getting more water and and and…


Who has done this?? I am definitely guilty of making all-or-nothing changes…but how often do they last when we approach them like this? You may be in a cycle right now where you’re trying to make a bunch of changes and are feeling overwhelmed and maybe like a failure because you just can’t keep it up and you have no idea how other people do it. You’re annoyed and frustrated and you get down on yourself and give up.

Now, here are a few things to remember before we continue -

1. The ultimate goal with changing your lifestyle is that it isn’t a temporary or quick fix. You’re adopting habits that you are “Ideally” going to sustain for the rest of your life (or at least for a long time, as long as the habits support your optimal health).
   
   
2. Choosing health means not choosing something else. How many times have you heard “lose weight without changing what you eat?” Or “transform your body in 5 minutes a day?” That isn’t real!! If you want to be healthier (and that doesn’t just mean less sick, it means more joyful, more energized, more fulfilled), you have to live in a healthier way. You have to let go of certain habits, behaviors, people, activities, foods and drinks…. Sorry, I’m not here to tell you what you want to hear, just what you need to hear.
   
   
3. You have to be the one to do it for yourself. No one is going to make time for you to take care of yourself if you don’t ask for it and CLAIM it. And no one can take care of you for you. If this is important to you, which I know it is because you’re here listening to this, then you have to take control, take the reins of your life and health and do something about it.

So with that being said, the key to lasting change is to get yourself into *small* action. Start with small changes that you’ll build on over time. You don’t have to do it all at once. You have the rest of your life to figure this out. So many of us live in a perpetual state of urgency — it has to be done NOW! — but it really doesn’t. You have time. So the best way to make a change that’s going to stick is to BREAK IT DOWN into the smallest steps you can and then just do one little thing to get started.

Once you’ve taken some action, you have to reevaluate.

How is this action step moving me closer to my goals?

What is working and what is not working?

​What’s the next step?

Last week, after getting home from vacation, I had a BUSY week. Busier than I’ve had in a long time.

Coaching sessions, doctor appointments, meetings with collaborators, a podcast interview, presentations, and planning.


On top of that, I got home at 2am Monday morning and my sleep schedule was wrecked for the week.

While there are lots of ways I measure my well-being, my exercise is a good indicator of how I’m doing at taking care of myself overall. Last week, I skipped four out of seven days. Whoops.

And it did not feel good. Mentally, I was not thinking/feeling great. Physically, I was sluggish. Emotionally, I was a wreck.

It’s a familiar story. Things just keep popping up, and it all feels important, so you drop to the bottom of your to-do list, which means you don’t fit into the day at all.

Sometimes that is inevitable. We all have a busy day or week with things that we can’t put off, and we just don’t get to be a priority for that time. But when that becomes our entire life, every single day, it’s a problem.

You can’t do everything. You’re not meant to do everything. It’s important to define what’s most important to you (your values) so you can make sure you’re living in alignment with them.

If you say you value health, are you spending time nurturing your mind, body, and spirit?

If you value family and relationships, are you spending quality time with the people you love?

If you value creativity, are you spending time in creative pursuits, consuming and creating art?

If you value nature and the earth, do you spend time connecting with it?

Next week, I’m going to share a new resource with you to help you walk through the process of defining your values and designing your lifestyle to live in better alignment with those values.

In the meantime, reflect on this upcoming week and consider where and how you are fitting yourself into your life. And then make it happen. Because you’re worth it.